Cherry Blossoms in Spring
by bridgestocross
Summary: Five Years after the last episode, Annie and Auggie meet again. One Shot.


_**A/N: I'm such a liar. I said I was done with Covert Affairs, but I had one more in me. After today's announcement that the show was cancelled, I wanted to give Auggie and Annie a proper send off. I dedicate this final story to a great show and to all the wonderful members of the #crew. I love you all. **_

He'd smelled Jo Malone from time to time, but it was never exactly right; always a little off. Because it wasn't Annie.

He shook his head as he filed forward with his hand on Eric Barber's elbow. His old friend had been the one to inform him of the death of Annie's husband, Ryan McQuaid.

In a world that seemed hell bent on the ironic, it seemed that the elite spy that had spent the last five years running around the globe dodging bullets with Annie had died from a pulmonary embolism after a long flight to Australia.

"Joan's headed this way." Barber said softly as they continued to shuffle forward in line.

"Auggie. Eric." Joan offered.

"Joan." Auggie nodded.

"It's good of you to come."

"I wanted to show my support." Auggie replied, hoping Joan would let drop whatever thread she'd been about to pull. He didn't want to examine his feelings for Annie, or why he'd felt compelled to come to the memorial when he and Annie hadn't even spoken in five years.

"Afterwards, I have something to discuss with you. I'll see you back at the office."

"Yup."

Auggie tried hard not to roll his eyes. Whatever pressing issue Joan had for him could surely wait until tomorrow morning. He had that place wired and nothing went down without him knowing ahead of time.

After Natasha was arrested for the second time by Interpol, Auggie had walked away from her and her shenanigans and directly back into Joan's office. Joan hadn't commented on his rash decision to fly off with Natasha, or how it was probably a reaction to almost dying at Belenko's hands, and for that he was extremely grateful. He wasn't big on 'I told you so.'

After that day almost four years ago, he'd wondered if Annie would find her way back to the CIA too. He'd surreptitiously kept tabs on her and was a little irked that she and McQuaid seemed to have the world by the tail. They'd rebuilt his company and had completed several high level missions together. They'd married a year after he'd last spoken to her; that fateful day when he'd stood in her kitchen and touched her for the very last time.

"Auggie."

He'd turned immediately toward her voice. "Walker."

He waited for the shifting of fabric or some other sound to indicate that she was going to hug him or shake his hand…or touch him in some way, but none came. There was only silence. Auggie knew Barber stood nearby and was probably intently watching their interaction.

"Hi Annie. I'm sorry about Ryan."

"Thanks."

Auggie heard her swallow and noted the slightly shaky quality in her voice.

"Um, Auggie…can I talk to you. After."

"Sure."

"I'll come find you."

"Okay."

Annie moved away then; back to the front of the room as the memorial service got underway. Auggie and Barber quickly located seats.

"What was that about? What do you think she wants to talk to you about?" Barber whispered under his breath.

"Eric—"

"Sorry, boss. None of my beeswax. I know."

xXx

"So." Auggie finally asked as they made their way to the Lincoln Memorial. It was twilight, but still plenty of people were milling about.

Annie stopped abruptly and without warning. Auggie caught himself from crashing into her at the last second.

"Sorry." She muttered.

"It's okay. We're out of practice." He tried to smile.

"Wanna sit?"

"Sure." He tilted his head, trying to puzzle out her mood.

Auggie felt her pull forward again and then up the stairs. "We're sitting on the steps?"

"Sure. Lots of people do it."

"I know, I just figured we were a little dressy for the occasion."

Annie looked down at her black suit jacket and matching pencil skirt and then over at Auggie. His dark charcoal suit with white shirt and black tie fit him impeccably. He had a teeny bit of gray threaded through his dark brown hair now and the creases at the corners of his eyes were a little deeper, but otherwise, he was the same. Exactly the same.

She clasped her hands and looked down at the thin metal band on her left ring finger. It felt wrong to wear it today. She felt like a fraud, but she didn't know what else to do. How do you tell everyone that Ryan's dead and in the same breath mention that you've been separated for more than a year?

"We were going to get divorced." She blurted out.

"Sit." Auggie quickly felt the width of the step with his cane and then pulled them both down until they sat together on one of the white marble steps with their legs outstretched.

Annie exhaled long and slow as she watched people coming and going with their camera phones; snapping shots of the various monuments.

"I tried. I tried to love him, but I didn't."

"But…you married him."

"I thought it was love." She shrugged helplessly. "By the time I realized it wasn't, it was too late."

"Did he love you?" He asked.

"I don't know. How do you ever really know if someone loves you?" She whispered. Her head dropped to her hands as she felt Auggie take one of them into his.

"You just know."

The sound of his voice, the deep rumble of it…god it'd been so long. She closed her eyes. This. This was the missing piece. How could she have been so stupid?

"I ran from you. I don't know why." She whispered as she finally turned and looked at him.

Auggie felt like he'd been hit by a tsunami. "Annie—"

"I know it's too late. I know I blew it. I just had to say it." She laughed a little bitterly. "If that's one lesson I can take away from this, it's to stop running."

"Why do you run?"

She laughed again. "That's a good question for a shrink. Maybe it's time I had one."

Auggie pulled his hand away from hers and clasped them together as his arms hung loosely over his bent knees.

"I don't run. But I put up walls. That's what my shrink says, anyway." He shrugged and listened to the sounds around him. He loved springtime in DC. The cherry blossoms, the sweet scent of new grass, the life around him buzzing anew…

He wasn't sure why, but he didn't care anymore. He didn't want to be precise and measured. Careful and exact. He wanted to be free.

"I love you, Annie. I never stopped loving you. I don't think I ever will."

She stared at him, stunned. She hadn't expected that. But she'd wished for it, fervently. For five years. Hell, for almost nine really.

"Auggie—"

"You don't have to say anything, Walker. I'm just tired of hiding it. You can leave here, go do whatever it is you do, and I'll be okay. I just thought it was about time I—"

He didn't finish that thought. His words were cut off as Annie slowly stood and pulled him up to stand beside her. She stood on the step above him and that, coupled with her heels, put her height slightly above his. He waited as the gentle breeze carried to him the subtle scent of cherry blossoms mixed with grapefruit.

She touched him on the arm, feeling the texture of his wool suit jacket. She thought she could feel the heat of his skin through the material, but it was only her imagination. Still, it was almost incomprehensible to her that she was standing here, with Auggie Anderson as he declared his love for her.

He'd always known what she was thinking and feeling. It was a bond between them; borne of hours and hours together or through an earpiece on a mission. They'd become so in-tuned, so unified, that they'd rarely had a misstep. Annie remembered the one and only time he'd been at such a loss to know her mind that he'd spoken aloud his frustrations at not being about to see her face and read her expression.

She'd reassured him then, but they'd been in the midst of so many lies and cover-ups that he'd been right to doubt her conviction, and she, his. They'd both worn poker faces for more than a year…and it had cost them. Dearly. When it was all over, their relationship lay in ruins and their friendship, barely alive.

Now, she slid her hand up his forearm until she held the side of his bicep. She watched as he lifted his head.

She leaned in and gently pressed her lips to his. She felt him kiss her back, but he did not lean forward or move his hands to embrace her.

"Annie, I don't think—"

"I love you, Auggie. I love you."

He leaned in now and let his hand find her slender neck as he held her gently. His lips found hers and this time, he kissed her passionately.

"Annie." He had nothing more to say. Suddenly, all the conversations, all the arguments he'd had with her faded away. Only one truth remained. He'd loved her from the beginning. Everything else was a roadblock he threw up in their path.

"Why? Why didn't we work the first time?"

"You said it yourself. You're a runner."

"And you put up walls."

"I'm not going to do that anymore."

"Why do you do that?"

"'Cause being blind's a bitch."

She burst out laughing. "That's what it all boils down to?"

"Well, it's more complicated than that, according to the shrink, but yeah. The job. The agency. You."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you're not jealous as hell of them."

"But—"

"It's my issue, Walker. I've worked through it."

"Huh."

"Yup."

"Well, I guess I need to work on that 'running' thing."

"Why do you run?"

Annie was quiet a long moment. Auggie was about to make a crack about dozing off when she finally spoke.

"So I can leave them before they leave me."

"Father Issues."

"So it seems."

"Man, we are two bad clichés."

She laughed again as she turned around so they could both decent the stairs side by side. At the bottom, he pulled them to a stop and again, turned to face her. This time, he raised his hand to her cheek and caressed it with the back of his hand.

"I've missed you, Annie."

She could feel the moisture gather in her eyes immediately. This man, these words—it was everything she'd ever wanted.

Auggie turned and began walking forward, pulling her slightly until she was keeping pace. They walked together silently for a few paces, just taking in each other and the beautiful evening.

"So what do we do now?" She finally asked.

Auggie turned slightly so that he was facing her. He smiled and squeezed her elbow.

"We live."


End file.
